Maintaining muscle - Emily Skye

Maintaining muscle

Have you ever noticed how quickly your hard earned muscle definition starts to melt away when you deviate from exercise for a week or two? Unfortunately us women are at a slight disadvantage to men because our muscle starts to deteriorate at a faster pace, from about the age of 25.

So how can you help maintain your muscles? Well the answer is quite simple... Keep using them!

Okay, so I understand that life sometimes gets in the way and our regular workout routines might not always be possible. So here are some tips to help you maintain your sexy definition even when life disrupts your usual weekly workout routine.

Move it when you can - If you have to miss out on your regular workout sessions, for whatever reason, try to fit in a quick 10-20 minute workout whenever you have spare time. Remember you don’t need equipment, or even a large space, to work your muscles and get your heart pumping!

Work around Injuries - It is very important to take care of an injury and follow your health professional's advice; however that doesn’t mean you need to give up on exercise completely! Try to work around your injury, which might mean you need to get a little creative and focus on other areas that won’t aggravate your existing injury.

Keep up your protein - Don’t get me wrong here, if you are not exercising at all then you most likely won’t be needing as much calories to keep yourself going, however protein is still incredibly important in maintaining the muscles you already have!

Earn your break - If you know you have a holiday period coming up, or something that will distract you from your usual routine, then work extra hard leading up to that time. That way you will gain even more strength and definition to hold you over during your ‘break period’.

Remember it is easier to maintain your current level of definition than it is to gain it back again, so try to keep using your muscles as much as possible, even if that means substituting transport for your own two legs, and carrying your shopping to your car instead of relying on the trolley!